Rise In Illegitimacy At Town By Polaris Base

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30313, 13 December 1963, Page 24

Rise In Illegitimacy At Town By Polaris Base

(N.ZJ’.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

DUNOON (Scotland), Dec. 12. Quiet. outwardly-respec-table Dunoon, a town by the shores of Holy Loch, has been shocked by some statistics I just published by the Regis-trar-General of Scotland. Ever since the American Polaris submarine force first anchored in the loch sailors have swept the local girls off their feet. Today the facts were there for all to see —the illegitimacy rate in Dunoon (population 10.000) more than doubled between 1961 and 1962 to outstrip the rest of the country. The rate rose from 6.3 per cent in 1961 to 15.3 per cent last year. This compared with a rise of barely 1 per cent to a rate of 6 per cent in the four major cities. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee. Scotland’s national average of illegitimacy remained at little over 5 per cent. In Dunoon, a town official who declined to be named broke the silence today to comment: “It would be quite accurate to say that the majority of these illegitimate babies have American fathers.” A spokesman pn the U.S.S.

Hunley of the Holy Loch Polaris fleet said: “The United States Navy declines to comment.” There have been storms in Dunoon before today over the presence in the town of men from the Polaris force. But nothing compared to the storm threatening to break now. In previous outbursts over the effect of the United States “tars” on the town girls:— The local sheriff has condemned town elements who have tried to exploit “immoral traffic.” The provost has pledged to “clean up” the town. A woman councillor on two occasions has tried to have all unmarried American sailors banned from Dupoon. A special clinic was opened to deal with the increasing incidence of veneral disease in women. Liberal Win.—The Liberal Party easily won the Queenson allocation of preferences. This gives the Menzies Government a majority of 22 in the new Federal House of Representatives. Canberra, December 11.